Ever After
by Free Will Lover
Summary: It's Dean and Cas's wedding day! (Pretty much just the ceremony though) WARNING: pretty much only fluff. Destiel w/ minor (very minor) Sabriel.


Dean's hands were shaking. He was absolutely terrified. Monsters, he could handle those just fine. But this, this was different. It was a butterflies-in-the-stomach kind of feeling so powerful it was making him weak in the knees. He wiped a sweaty palm on his tuxedo and adjusted his bright blue tie, glancing out at the small crowd of people. There weren't a lot - Dean and Sam had no other family and few friends. And Sam was standing up with Dean on the stage.

Sam placed his large hand on Dean's shoulder and whispered quietly to him.

"You'll do fine, man. Just wait until he walks out."

Hardly a moment later the doors in the back of the small chapel opened and Castiel walked in. He was dressed to the nines in a black suit, white silk shirt, and a jade green tie the exact shade of the eyes that were now fixed on him. Dean's breath hitched in a way that was barely noticeable to anyone but Cas, and Cas just lit up. Seeing someone he loved look at him that way made him feel almost euphoric. It was all he could do to keep from running down the aisle to Dean. But he kept his steps steady as he walked down the flower-bedecked carpet that ran between the rows of pews. White rose petals were crushed beneath his feet, releasing their sweet perfume into the chapel.

"Hello, Dean." Castiel said quietly, smiling.

"You look… wow. Just, wow."

The preacher smiled down at them, saying that it was time to exchange vows. They had decided in advance that Dean would go first. He fumbled in his pockets for his notecards, taking a few moments before he managed to pull them out. They were already wrinkled, and were becoming slightly crushed in his large paws.

"Ah-ummm…" he stuttered a bit at first, clearing his throat. "Castiel. Cas. When I first met you, I was, to put it plainly, terrified of you. Because you… you brought me back to life. Back from the abyss, as it were."

Cas grinned a bit, and Sam coughed behind him.

"Ah - what I mean to say is, meeting you changed me." It was becoming apparent that the cue cards that were being crushed to oblivion in Dean's shaking hands were not much use. "I was… I was an empty shell of a man, made heartless and hopeless from years on the road." Dean was growing more confident in his speech, though his face was still flushed bright red.

"But then you came along, and you saved me, Cas, in more ways than one. And for a long time I tried to deny it. I tried to say that it meant nothing, that I would never feel for you the way that I do now. Because it scared me. You scared me. The way that you didn't care about personal space. The way you looked into my eyes like you were looking into my soul. The way it seemed like you could read my thoughts, like you could see into my heart. I guess, though, that fear changed to indifference, to comfort. That I could always count on you to be there when I called. For you to be closer than anyone else. And now, when I'm with you, Cas, it just feels right. It feels like home, and that's something that I never thought that I would have. Someone as wonderful as you to say that you're proud of me, that you love me…" A single tear ran down his cheek and he looked up at Cas. "They say that home is where the heart is, and my heart will always be with you."

Cas wanted very badly to cry when he saw the smile that Dean gave him when he finished his vows. But he pulled a single sheet of notebook paper from the inside of his jacket and took a deep breath. Dean noticed that the paper had water spots on it and Castiel's scrawling hand writing had run in some places. It didn't matter if his notes were illegible though - Cas had rehearsed this speech so many times he had it memorized. He gave a small cough, and began, staring at the paper nonetheless to avoid Dean's gaze.

"Dean. People often say that there is no such thing as love at first sight, but I - I don't think that's quite true. For from the moment that I first laid eyes on you I knew that I could never let you go. I did not, however, fall for your rugged good looks, your wonderful sense of humor, or your flirtatious personality." Cas stated with complete seriousness. Dean turned red from ear to ear and Sam simply chuckled. Cas looked slightly confused for a moment, but continued. "What attracted me to you, Dean, was the purity of your soul. You are, above all else, a good man. I find myself here, with the honor of being loved by you, and it is almost more than my own soul can bear. It is thanks to you, Dean, that I first experienced joy, and sadness; anger and pleasure; sorrow and passion; and it is thanks to you that I experienced love. Love is a strange thing - it makes you feel both at peace and also troubled at the same time. Perhaps it is for fear of losing who you hold dear; or worse, a fear of failing them. I know that I have failed you many times, Dean. I also know that I would do anything in my power to take back the times I have let you down. But it is too late for that, and I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you. I will spend the rest of my life trying not to fail you again. I will spend the rest of my life loving you."

Dean was speechless. It was time to exchange rings, and Gabriel, who was standing up for Cas, handed them the gold bands. They went through barely hearing the words that the preacher said. Their hands were both shaking as they slid the rings onto the other's finger.

"I now pronounce you partners in marriage. You may kiss."

Dean stepped forward joyfully, holding Castiel's hands, and kissed him hard. The crowd cheered, of course, and Dean and Cas finally came up for air to walk down the aisle together. They were both beaming with joy, and also laughing at the fact that Sam and Gabriel had to follow them down the aisle, also arm in arm.

THE END


End file.
